Uruguay and a new Non-Aligned Movement

The NYT has an interesting article about how Uruguay is being courted heavily both by Venezuela and the United States, each of which is showering it with money and development projects. I’ve mentioned before how the left in Uruguay, even within the Frente Amplio government, is split. At the moment, the president is interested both in a free trade agreement with the U.S. and a closer relationship with Venezuela.

In this context, what really struck me is that the Non-Aligned Movement is currently meeting in Havana, but since the Cold War has been over for so long, it raises the question of what countries they are seeking to be non-aligned from.

In the case of Latin America, I’d say “non-aligned” would mean independent both from the U.S. and Venezuela, which are the only two countries constantly jockeying for position, seeking military advantage, doling out favors, calling each other evil, etc. This article would suggest that Uruguay is doing an excellent job of gaining benefits from both, while refusing to get sucked in too far.